For today's college students, shows like Thundercats and the Smurfs are almost inseparable from the ad jingles that interspersed the popular cartoons of the mid-1980s.

Students who barely remember the Gulf War can sing along with the ditty for Flintstone Kids vitamins--"Ten thousand strong...and growing"--and still go cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.

In developing these advertising campaigns, marketing executives often turn to child psychologists to make ad spots as appealing as possible to their young audiences.

But in the past few months, several studies have made national news demonstrating the devastating effect of the media, such as the study of boys and body image that made the cover of the New York Times Sunday Magazine.

In response, a number of psychologists across the country have decided to speak out.

Four Harvard Medical School (HMS) professors recently signed a letter addressed to Dr. Richard Suinn, president of the American Psychological Association asking for strict regulation of the use of psychological research in advertisement campaigns targeting children.

Although legislators have for some time protected children from advertisement of regulated substances--such as tobacco or alcohol--this is the first relatively high-profile attempt of psychologists to regulate their own participation in the marketplace.

For the Children